36C26025R0038_4.pdf

Modification to a Previous Notice

*= Required Field Modification to a Previous Notice

SUBJECT* Engineering Services MATOC IDIQ

GENERAL INFORMATION

CONTRACTING OFFICE’S ZIP CODE* 98661

SOLICITATION NUMBER* 36C26025R0038

BASE NOTICE TYPE

RESPONSE DATE/TIME/ZONE 04-22-2025 12:00 PACIFIC TIME, LOS

ANGELES, USA

ARCHIVE 60 DAYS AFTER THE RESPONSE DATE

RECOVERY ACT FUNDS N

SET-ASIDE SDVOSBC

PRODUCT SERVICE CODE* C1DA

NAICS CODE* 541330

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS NCO 20 Network Contracting Office

ATTN: V4CONT

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd

Bldg.17, Suite B428

Vancouver WA 98661

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contracting Team

Wendy Duval & Helen Woods wendy.duval@va.gov; helen.woods@va.gov

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

ADDRESS

POSTAL CODE

COUNTRY

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL

ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

This amendment distributes additional industry questions and VA answers.

34- In response to the answers provided for questions 29 and 30: “Per Criteria 1, firms will need to demonstrate that they have a licensed/registered architect or engineer in each discipline listed in Criteria 1 to meet minimum requirements.” Does this requirement for a licensed/registered architect or engineer in each discipline apply to the non-architecture/engineering roles such as 14-17 and 19-21? These roles typically have other certifications such as RPA, CCP or GISP that show registrations in their distinct field for that discipline.

Per Criteria 1, yes- the requirement is “licensed/registered…in each discipline.”

35- For criteria 2 – Specialized Experience and Technical Competence, is there any set limit on the time frame for projects in Section F (e.g., past 10 years, 7 years, 5 years, etc.). Must project’s professional services also be completed at time of submittal or will 75% or more complete be acceptable?

Criteria 2 does not list a set limit on the time frame for projects in Section F.

Criteria 2 does not state a required level of completion for a project’s professional services.

36- For criteria 4 – The solicitation states that past performance will only be based on past performance information from the previous six years. Does this mean any projects outside of that six-year time frame will not be considered, even if the PPQ was completed by the client within the past 12 months?

Yes- as stated in Criteria 4, the evaluation will be based only on past performance information from the previous six years.

37- For criteria 5 – Knowledge of Locality requests that offerors show knowledge of construction SDVOSB contractor availability. What is the government specifically looking for here since this notice is being issued as a total-set aside for Service-

Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses?

The total set-aside for SDVOSBs for this notice does not alter the specifics of what we are looking for in Criteria 5. Per Criteria 5, firms need to provide a written narrative of the firm’s plan to be able to support the region, to including limiting travel costs, including knowledge of construction SDVOSB contractor availability, especially in remote locations….as it relates to construction costs and construction workforce availability.

38- For Criteria 6 – SDVOSB Subcontracting – What is the government specifically looking for here since this notice is being issued as a total-set aside for Service-

Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses? Is there preference for a SDVOSB offeror to subcontract with other SDVOSBs?

Per Criteria 6, regardless of the fact that this is a total set-aside for SDVOSB, firms will be evaluated on the extent to which they identify and commit to the use of SDVOSBs, VOSBs, and other types of small businesses as subcontractors. There is no preference, however, firms shall meet the limitations of subcontracting as set forward in VAAR

852.219-75.

39- In Amendment One, you state: 'The professional licenses and registrations simply require documentation be provided. The documentation shall be legible, and within the formatting guidelines for the overall submission.' Could you please clarify if

'formatting' refers to the size or structure of the overall submission document? We are unable to alter the font or format of the official registration documents.

Professional licensing and registrations can be submitted in their original format.

40- "In Amendment Two, you state: 'Per Criteria 1 – Professional Qualifications, provide one resume for each discipline. One person’s resume can be submitted for more than one discipline.' However, in Amendment Three, you state: 'Per Criteria 1 and the Page and Example Limits, the request for SF330s does not restrict the submission of multiple resumes for the same discipline.' Could you please clarify which of these statements is accurate?"

Both statements are accurate.

41- Mod 3 states that submitting CPARS is not required and submitting PPQs is optional. Can the VA please clarify: If a Section F project does not have CPARS, are we required to submit a PPQ for that project?

The special notice does not state that a PPQ is mandatory for projects listed in Section

F. However, if you would like that project considered for past performance, it may be worthwhile to consider submitting a PPQ for that project if no CPARS is available.

42- My firm is requesting clarification regarding the scope of work for the

Transportation Engineer position. Could you please confirm whether this role is intended to cover horizontal transportation, such as traffic planning, roadway design and site circulation, or vertical transportation such as elevators and conveyance systems?

Traffic planning, roadway design, and site circulation.

43- How will the government review offer’s proposal and the proposed contract clauses as related to EO 14151 and 14173?

VA is requesting SF330 qualifications only, not proposals, which will be reviewed only on the criteria set forward in this special notice. After discussions, at request for price proposal, all applicable guidance to implement any and all EOs applicable to this requirement will be included.

44- Does the FAR requirement for 52.219-14 and VAAR 852.219- 75 apply to all work performed under the contract or does the government distinguish between professional services and other direct expenses such as firms operating as a vendor?

The limitations on subcontracting requirements will apply to all task orders against the

MATOC IDIQs. Please see Criteria 6 paragraph 2.

45- How will the government determine if a firm is a qualified SDVOSB?

Qualifications will be evaluated using the criteria set forward in the notice. SDVOSBs must be certified by the Small Business Administration at time of receipt of submission and (if applicable) prior to award.

46- We notice the original Source Sought had the architectural NAIC 541310, which is half the size standard of the NAIC 541330. Are there any specific technical or anticipated scope drivers that caused this change that should be addressed in our capabilities?

No. This specific requirement falls under NAICS 541330.

47- Is there a need to provide any safety or QC qualifications?

Per Criteria 1, a resume is required for Quality Assurance/Quality Control management.

48- SOW mentions criteria in descending order of importance. This indicates there a weight of each criteria that we should consider in projects and teaming. Will VISN 20 provide these weighted values?

This special notice does not state that there will be weighted values.

49- We would like clarification on what the mandatory requirements of the Past

Performance section are. Does VA only require contract information and points of contact in the SF330 since VA does not want copies of CPARS and PPQs are to be a separate document (per Amendment 3)?

Per Criteria 4, VA does not request specific information be submitted as mandatory for past performance other than what is already required on the SF330.

50- The response to RFI 16 is not clear. The term ‘construction inspection’ typically means something different than ‘construction observation’. An inspector is typically an independent 3rd party that approves an installation and may perform physical testing of the installation whereas someone performing construction observation is typically an employee of the A/E firm that observes the construction progress for conformity with the design intent but does not perform physical testing of the installation. We believe you want someone on the team that will perform observation and not inspection as described above. Please confirm.

Per Criteria 1, the required discipline is Construction Inspection.

51- Some of the roles listed in Criteria 1 (such as CADD, spec writer, construction inspection, and QAQC management) are duties performed by engineering or architectural staff as part of their daily job duties. They may not be dedicated job positions for a small business. Is it acceptable to omit resumes for those Criteria 1 roles that are more of a duty (CADD, spec writer, etc.), if those duties are demonstrated to be performed by key personnel (such as Architect, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical

Engineer, etc.)?

No, a resume for each discipline is required.

The same person’s resume can be submitted for more than one position if a firm feels that is how they want to structure their team.

52- Due to the RFI deadline being so close to the submittal deadline, we feel that we will not have time to incorporate questions answered into the SF330. Can we get an extension on the SF330 submittal deadline?

No- NCO 20 currently does not anticipate extending the SF330 deadline. No substantive changes have been made to the requirements since the original request for

SF330s was posted.

53- Can the PPQs be included in an appendix, or do they need to be formatted into the SF330?

See response to question 32.

54- Please clarify the comment in Criteria 1 that states “The team of qualified professional personal included in this SF330 will be the only personnel able to be used to obtain task orders under a MATOC if a MATOC is awarded to the firm.” Does this refer to the firms included on the SF330, or does it also include named personnel? If it is named personnel, do we need to include a resume for every named Non-Key Personnel that may work on the project, or should they just be included on the organization chart?

This applies to the personnel whose resume are submitted to meet the requirements to provide a registered architect or engineer in each discipline listed in Criteria 1.

55- Criteria 1 states that we need to provide professional registration for each of the key personnel? Would the government specify what registration will be acceptable for each of the key positions as there are a number of different registrations/certifications depend on the position?

No, the VA is aware that there is a variety of ways an architect or engineer can be professionally registered, and our current requirement is that they simply have one of those.

56- Criteria 2 states that firms need to show experience with NEPA documents, Section 404 permitting, biological and natural resource studies, and inventories, performing cultural resource monitoring and documentation, feasibility studies for pollution prevention and energy conservation projects. Does a firm need to include resumes that demonstrates this experience although Criteria 1 does not include key personnel with this type of experience?

Per Criteria 2, resumes are not requested. Firms are expected to demonstrate capabilities in Section F of the SF330.

57- Criteria 6 says offerors will be evaluated on the extent to which they identify and commit to the use of service-disabled veteran-owned small business, veteran-owned small businesses, and other types of small business subcontractors. As this procurement is a SDVOSB contract, how will the use of subconsultants and their status be evaluated?

Per the Submission Format, Section H shall include the estimated percentage of involvement of the proposed team.

58- What is the intent of the Buy American Act/Trade Agreement Act statement under “following disciplines” in Criteria 2? For designers, this is typically a specification requirement placed upon the construction contractor and verified during construction submittal/installation process.

VA is asking firms to demonstrate their knowledge and experience with BAA/TAA in their SF330 submitted for the overall MATOC. The intent is that deliverables under subsequent task orders will adhere to BAA/TAA requirements.

59- Will VISN 20 will use the DSBS to check certifications? In talking with SBA, they indicated they have been overwhelmed with submissions last fall and acknowledged a step to transfer data into DSBS was not completed, so DSBS may not currently show active certifications and dates. They did not give a timeframe when this will be resolved, but they know of the issue and are working it.

NCO 20 will use the appropriate database(s) from SBA to validate certification based on most current guidance VA has received from SBA. Currently, NCO 20 has been directed by SBA to use DSBS to validate certification.

60- For a small business, is there a percentage of projects you want to come from the prime and from the team?

The request for SF330s does not state any specific requirement for percentage of projects from prime and from team.

61- Ten projects are a high number for a small business, especially for a recently formed SDVOSB. We looked at other recent VISN opportunities and they have requested five projects. Would the government reconsider to allow five projects be acceptable?

Per page and example limits for section F, ten (10) projects is the maximum number of projects that will be evaluated and is not a mandated quantity.

62- We were a subcontract to a prime on a few contracts. A PPQs filled out by the prime acceptable or does it have to go to the Government organization that contracted the prime?

PPQs should be filled out by the entity for whom the firm submitting the PPQ did the work for.

63- How is NIST 800-171 addressed in the contract requirements and how will VA manage this?

NIST 800-171 is not part of the request for SF330s.

VA specific requirements for IT security will be included in requests for price proposals and resulting IDIQs and kept up to date throughout with the most current VA specific guidance.

64- Are/will the numerous EOs impact the program execution/funding? Do you expect budget cuts that affect the proposed $65M ceiling?

VA cannot project EO impact on execution/funding. Irregardless, the $65M ceiling will not change.

65- Would the government consider extending the deadline an additional week (to

April 29th) to give adequate response time for the questions since the Q&A closes on the 15th which would give the offers time to respond and adjust our submittal based on the government’s answers?

Please see response to question 52.

66- Due to the font size requirements (including charts and graphs), we kindly request that the page limit for Section H be increased from 15 pages to 25 pages, allowing for clear and adequate display of all required information.

No. Based on the information requested, 15 pages of text is sufficient to address required information.

67- Can the role of Plumbing Engineer be fulfilled by the Mechanical Engineer, or is a separate dedicated Plumbing Engineer required?

Please see response to question 10.

68- Is it acceptable for the Master Planner to be a licensed Architect with demonstrated expertise in Master Planning, or must the individual hold a specific registration as a Master Planner?

Per Criteria 1, each discipline must have the appropriate license/registration/certification for the discipline.

69- Would it be possible to get a one-week extension on the submission deadline?

We’re still waiting on responses to our earlier questions, and having that information would help us adjust our submission accordingly?

No, please see response to question 52.

70- Criteria 1- What will suffice for the QA/QC mgt position? Are they to have a certification?

Per Criteria 1, a resume for Quality Assurance/Quality Control management with appropriate license/registration/certification for the discipline is required.

71- Criteria 1- CADD, GIS and cost estimators normally do not have PEs. Do they need to have a certification? If yes, then what specific certification should they have?

Yes, per Criteria 1, each discipline is required to have an appropriate license, registration, and/or certification demonstrated for the discipline.

72- Criteria 1- If we dual hat a discipline so one resume covers two disciplines, would that resume get up to four pages?

No, each discipline requires its own two-page resume.

73- Criteria 1- States failure to identify a license, registration, and/or certification will assume none offered. For those disciplines listed, please identify which ones need a certification and what type of certification is required.

Per Criteria 1, every discipline listed needs an appropriate license/registration/certification.

74- Criteria 2 – The first bullet has “construction design” followed by three other design types. Are you looking at two tiers: First is any experience in the four design categories? Then VA design experience in the subsequent six disciplines? Please clarify your intent? If not, then clarify what you expect to see for the 4 design categories, followed by the 6 VA categories?

Criteria 2 does not reference tiers or use the word categories. Criteria 2 is looking at a firm’s specialized knowledge/experience in all areas listed. Firms should demonstrate any knowledge/experience they have that is recent and relevant to the listed areas in their response.

75- Criteria 2- Buy American Act/Trade Agreement Act- The words indicate as a reference. Are you looking for projects that utilized BAA/TAA? If not, then clarify what should be provided, since we do not know of any certifications?

Per Criteria 2, certifications are not being requested from firms to meet Criteria 2 requirements. Please see the response to question 58.

76- Criteria 3- How many projects do you anticipate at any given time? For an even playing field among the proposals, we suggest you list a specific number, so we are addressing the same quantity. Someone may feel 2 is adequate and someone else may feel 10 is adequate?

Criteria 3 is not asking firms to respond to a scenario of how they would have capacity for a specific number of projects but to demonstrate their understanding of their own unique capacity.

77- Criteria 4- If we include PPQs in this criteria, we assume they will be excluded from the page count. Please clarify that the PPQs will be excluded from the 15 page count for Sec. H?

Please see the response to question 27.

78- Criteria 4- 2nd paragraph- You are requesting the overall safety record, which most AEs do not have EMR data. It appears this is left over from a construction contract? Please clarify.

Per Criteria 4, VA did not request overall safety record/EMR data.

79- Criteria 4- The SBA adopted a rule, which was effective August 22, 2022, that allows first tier subcontractors to receive past performance ratings from the prime. This was part of the NDAA 2021, Public Law 116-283. This rule changes 13 CFR Part 125.

We understand it is required to include this in solicitations. Please reference Federal

Register. Vol. 87, No. 140, Page 43731, and include this in an amendment to the solicitation.

Per Criteria 4, past performance by a first-tier subcontractor or as part of a joint venture is not excluded from consideration.

80- Submission format- 8th paragraph- Can awards, etc can be excluded from page count?

Unless an exclusion is listed in the notice requesting SF330s or in the Q&A, there is no exclusion. All information provided shall count towards the Section H page limit.